The show “How I met your mother” always bothered me.
This show tries to define our generation. College educated young adults. Non-descript white-collar careers. A good group of friends having fun and figuring out life through mildly entertaining situations. Meeting for happy hour (seemingly every day) to catch up.
There’s a sentiment among young adults today that they are entitled to this lifestyle.
Except it’s not true. Nobody deserves to meet their friends for happy hour every day. A lot of young adults can’t afford it yet it’s justified as a necessary expense (and debt piles up). Not to mention that a lot of jobs won’t accommodate it.
Secondly, if it were true, this idea lacks any ambition or inspiration. The biggest problem the characters face is finding someone to date or figuring out what to do on the weekend. Nobody cares to change the world. Nobody wants the responsibility of starting a new company, or inventing something or even excelling at their career. It’s a passive, lazy, mediocre attitude towards life.
Contrast this to the HBO series “How to Make it in America“. This show is about two friends living in New York trying to start a new denim brand.
There is nothing given to them. There is no stability in their lives. They don’t always know how they’re going to pay rent. But they are ambitious. They aren’t content to work 9-5 jobs and hangout at happy hour every day. They want to start something new. There is no separation between personal and business life (or personal and business profiles). It’s inspiring to see these guys work to create new opportunities for themselves.
For the cultural and economic benefit of our generation, I wish there were more shows like How to Make It – and less like How I Met Your Mother. I wish more people in my generation were inspired to create something new rather than just working for a pay check.
Tagged: How I Met Your Mother, How to Make It In America, Startup